Pacifiers dramatically cut risk of cot death

时间：2019-03-02 05:14:02166网络整理admin

By Gaia Vince Babies who sleep with a pacifier (dummy) have a reduced risk of cot death, according to a new population-based study. Using a pacifier also appears to help mitigate against some risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), such as less safe sleeping positions, the researchers say. They study found a 90% reduced risk of SIDS in babies who used a pacifier, compared to those who did not. Sucking a thumb also appeared to reduce SIDS risk. De-Kun Li, who carried out the work with colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, US, believes pacifiers may be a useful public health tool for preventing SIDS. However, the UK’s Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FIDS) cautions that while the new study appears convincing, the overall picture remains very complicated. For example, the question of whether failing to give a pacifier to a baby who is used to getting one is more risky than never giving a pacifier remains unclear. Li’s team interviewed mothers and carers of 185 infants who died from SIDS and those of 312 matched controls. For the children that died, they asked about the child’s last night, and for the controls about the night before the interview. The questions covered pacifier usage and environmental risk factors such as sleeping position and whether adults in the home were smokers. As well as the reduced risk of death, the study showed that using a pacifier cancelled out the risks posed by other known risk factors, such as very soft bedding. Li says one explanation for the results may be the bulky external handle common to many pacifiers. “Pacifiers may prevent accidental hypoxia as a result of the face being buried into soft bedding, or overlain by objects such as blankets, by providing an air passage created by the bulky handle,” he suggests. Another possibility, he told New Scientist is that “sucking on a pacifier may enhance the development of neural pathways that control the potency of the upper airway”. However, the study did not look at whether the babies habitually slept with a pacifier, only whether they used a pacifier on their last sleep. A study in 2000 suggested that the risk for SIDS only increases for babies who are used to sleeping with a pacifier and then stop. But a review of nine studies, published in October 2005, also found sleeping with pacifiers was associated with a 50% reduced risk of SIDS, although it also failed to examine habitual use. The FIDS spokesperson notes another complication – that the study suggests no benefit from using a pacifier in some of the babies most at risk of cot death, such as those with low birthweight. “There is no reason for parents not to use a pacifier but if they do, they must use it every time the baby sleeps,” she adds. Pacifier use has a history of controversy in relation to teeth and jaw development, with some health professionals advising against their use. Journal reference: